Search - Nicholas Payton, Belden, Yahel :: Mysterious Shorter

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C. E. Silva Rios | Caracas, Distrito Capital Venezuela | 02/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great music masterfully played by great players. Payton is solid, Belden tributes his main influence, Yahel is just discrete, and Drummond is a master drummer. Check this out: it grooves."

The first of its kind -

Kevin W. Celebi | Greencastle, IN | 09/18/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The eight selections on this compact disc represent the best and most intriguing of Wayne Shorter's compositional career. Why is this the first major recording to perform the music of Shorter? Have other musicians been cowering from the opportunity? "Mysterious" is a perfect quality achieved, thanks to the misty sound of the organ, the dark arrangements of Bob Belden, and the spacey guitar of Jon Hart, and the single-mic in the center of the room recording style. So there is mystery, and there is Shorter.



The recording is underwhelming, though. What happened to Nicholas Payton? He really was coming into his own style, culminating around albums like his own Sonic Trance and his landmark M-base with Greg Osby. But on Mysterious Shorter he sounds like he's trying way too hard. On the first track, "Montezuma," he deliberately cuts out of the chord changes, angularly slicing through the minor tones and jarring with dissonance, and then plays a sloppy sixteenth note run that lasts about seven measures, sounding like a bizarre mix of Woody Shaw and Don Cherry. And on Footprints, he starts with an odd syncopation figure that he continues for seemingly ever, which really doesn't go anywhere - which, like I said, gives the impression that he's trying too hard to be "different" instead of being himself. He gets props for trying to be adventuresome, but he sounds almost nothing like his former self - his tone is thinner and lacks the powerful conviction from his blowing on, say, DEAR LOUIS. Not to say I'm not his biggest fan - he's my favorite jazz trumpet player and I shelled a bunch of money out for this CD just to hear him - but to say I was disappointed hits the mark. His ballad feature, Teru, is searching and at beautiful, but there are a lot of cracked notes and un-interesting lines. This was played for a blindfold test, to Eddie Henderson, and he didn't even recognize Nick. Was this after his car crash? The saxophone playing of Bob Belden is underwhelming, too, but his arranging skills more than make up for it.



The rhythm section really hits a groove, however. The horns lay out for the last track, "Miyako," which is really one of Shorter's most tender melodies. They also develop a greasy, almost unhealthy groove jam during Tom Thumb, which is too-often butchered by organ trios. The organ playing of Yahel is elusive and never hits a conventional chord; such imaginative voicings and basslines. Billy Drummond is a veteran drummer and can really hit the skins, especially on a waltz like Footprints.



The music is beautiful and evokes mystery at times, especially courtesy of the talented rhythm section and occasional ebullient moments from Payton, but I really do think that Wayne Shorter deserves a much higher-quality tribute. An organ trio was a good start, but sometimes you just need a pianist that can recall Herbie Hancock or McCoy Tyner to get the full flavor out of Shorter's shades and harmonic twists. And the tenor player should be able to remind you of him as well! It's a worthwhile CD, but should be reserved for hardcore fans of Payton/Wayne Shorter; there is much better modern jazz out there.

kc"